Historic glass jugs to end for Almaden and Inglenook wines

In a move consistent with the consumer’s desire for both value and environmentally-friendly packaging, the historic Almaden and Inglenook brands will no longer be packaged in large, carbon-inefficient 3L and 4L glass jugs and will immediately move to Bag-in-Box (BIB) packaging.

BIB packages weigh significantly less than glass and require far less carbon-based energy to transport.

The announcement was made by The Wine Group, Inc. Both wine brands, purchased in February 2008 from Constellation Wines U.S., are moving to BIB packaging which will save 11 million pounds in packaging waste and reduce the brands’ carbon footprint by 60 percent.

“Consumers and the industry should applaud this move,” said Jon Fredrikson, wine industry analyst and industry consultant.

“Almaden and Inglenook are two classic brands that were part of many people’s first wine experience. Recent research has shown that consumers have great interest in environmentally friendly packaging,” Fredrikson said. “They now actively seek ways to cut their carbon footprint in the products they purchase. The fact that these two popular American brands are now taking this step is significant because of the volume they represent.”

“The positive impact to the environment from making the shift to BIB packages will be huge, simply because the volume of these two brands combined account for ten million cases of production,” said David Kent, chief executive officer of The Wine Group.

“We believe that making this change with two such venerable brands is an important step forward for the environment and for consumers who appreciate quality, value and the lessened impact on the environment,” Kent said.

Both Almaden and Inglenook have histories that reach back to the earliest years of California's wine industry. Almaden was founded in 1852 when Frenchman Etienne Theé planted grapes near Los Gatos, while Inglenook quickly gained popularity after fur-trading sea captain Gustave Niebaum purchased the Inglenook vineyard in Napa Valley in 1879.